MONTEVIDEO AIRPORT review : 30 April 2008 : by S Koenig

Customer Rating : 3/5

Relatively small, clean, functional airport, about a 20 minute drive from downtown without traffic. Arrived early for an 8am flight, Aerolineas Arentinas staff just arriving. You need to find on your own where to pay the airport departure tax. Nearly $30 for most international fights, but since I was going through the Buenos Aires domestic airport, tax was under $20. Only place I found to get something to eat was at a very small snack counter near the departure gate.

Montevideo Carrasco Airport by Enrique Simeone

29 January 2006   Customer Rating : n/a

I have used Carrasco International Airport for over 35 years now, namely 6 to 8 times a year, and I have to say that despite the 40's outside look, the mixed 80's and 90's departure area and check-in zone. It is a comfy little airport. It has 2 main runways, capable of a full loaded 747's take off. It is a 20 minute ride into town. There are only 9 gates in all, 8 of them remote. There are very little eating facilities. Only one newsagent, a chemist shop, a post office, a tourist info office, an official bank branch, some money exchange bureaus , a few shops and the usual car rentals. Immigration and customs are slow but smily. Can be chaotic, confusing and messy, during the holiday period. The duty free shop is brilliant, I think the cheapest in SA. Although not a great selection. Few airline's lounges, which are good. They are planning a larger terminal not too far form the existing one, in the not too distant future. All in all, I have seen better and I 've seen a lot worse!

Montevideo Carrasco Airport by Dale Hancock

27 January 2006

Arrival at MVD was without incident. The TAM Fokker 100 parked away from the jetways & passengers were bussed to immigration. The line at immigration was effectively zero (Thursday about 10AM). Immediately after immigration & prior to picking up the luggage all hand baggage is x-rayed & the customs forms collected. As baggage is delivered to the terminal it is x-rayed before going onto the carousel for passenger pickup. Once the luggage was collected exiting was through another, essentially non-existent, customs station with everyone simply being waived through the “nothing to declare” line. Once exiting this area we exchanged a few hundred dollars at a 21.599 rate (the rate at the hotel was 22.14 and at currency exchange counters in the city about a peso more). Taxi fare into town (the Sheraton) was calculated based on a reading of the meter and a separate chart & came to $495 or about $23US. The cab did not have traditional cab markings on the outside. The ride took about 25 minutes. From the time of landing until sitting in the hotel room took less than an hour. On the return trip the cab rate was slightly less - $500 allowed a decent tip to the driver & all were happy. We arrived at the airport about 2 hours before flight time and had to wait about 10 minutes for TAM to open their counters. Once they opened, check-in was quick this time (see report under SCL). From there down the hall (to the right of the check-in counters, continue to the right of passport control & next to the pharmacy) to pay the $26US departure tax (they readily accept USD) then through the passport control line where a lady scans the tax receipts stuck to the boarding cards, on to passport control and then on to the gate. Total time from leaving the TAM counter to sitting at the gate was about 10 minutes. There are only 9 gates at MVD. There is a restaurant before going through passport control but we did not stop. There were several tables & few if any customers – it’s between the airline counters & the pharmacy. If you need to eat at the airport stop here first. Once beyond passport control there is only a [very] small café (Vanila) that appears to have only the very basics. We recommend you eat before arriving at the airport. Duty free seemed expensive (JW Blue for $173US) – but it’s extremely rare when we believe we’ve found a good deal at any duty free shop. Overall MVD is a fine airport to visit.











 

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